CO129-549-14 Commission of Enquiry into trade of Colony 17-7-1934 - 18-1-1935 — Page 52

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Enclos. No.1.

-2-

Chinese Government whereby the Colony of Hongkong could be

placed within the Chinese Customs barrier.

3.

Recently some of these matters have, in addition

to the private conversations mentioned above,been openly

discussed in the local press. In March last Mr. F. A. Joseph,

an Exchange Broker and a Director of Concrete Products Limited, China Light and Power Company Limited, Hongkong Land Investment

and Agency Company Limited, Hongkong Tramways Limited, Hongkong Fire Insurance Company Limited, and Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Company Limited, all local enterprises, took up in the local

press the desirability of Government action for the purpose of

increasing the agricultural produce of the Colony so

might be enabled to become more self-supporting than hitherto,

In the course of some long and able letters to the press,

Mr. Joseph pointed out that Hongkong imported annually about

$25,000,000 worth of foodstuffs of which 87,600,000 was for pigs,

$3,000,000 for poultry, and $2,000,000 for eggs. He suggested

that the Government should employ an agricultural expert,

establish a Model farm, and assist the local Chinese farmers in

order that some of such importation might be replaced by local

products. He estimated, after detailed analysis, that a

replacement of only $5,000,000 of foodstuffs would represent

about $17,000,000 in increased purchasing power.

4.

In the course of his speech as Chairman of

Directors at the Annual Meeting of the recently formed Hongkong

Brewers and Disti llers Company Limited held on the 14th June,

Mr. Stanley H. Dodwell, Managing Director of Dowell & Company Limited (Head Office London) a well known firm, made the state-

ment which forms enclosure No.1 in this despatch. As Mr. Dodwell's

firm are importers of large quantities of goods from abroad,

this statement, advocating an exploration of the possibility of

developing local industrial enterprise and reciprocal arrange-

ments with other parts of the Empire, roused considerable

interest./